


Sanctuary

by BlazingStarInInkyBlackness



Series: Camp Camp [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 22:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8226148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlazingStarInInkyBlackness/pseuds/BlazingStarInInkyBlackness
Summary: David loved Camp Campbell. But in the beginning he'd hated it.





	

There was a reason David loved Camp Campbell. A reason he’d never want to tell anyone.

Yes, it was where he’d built his skills, where he’d grown into the man he was now but it was also a sanctuary. It was his first and, for many years, his only.

Camp Campbell changed his life.

Camp Campbell _saved_ his life.

No-one bothered to look too far down the list of Camps that Camp Camp boasted, most just saw one and latched onto it. That’s why David had first gone there after all. He’d dreaded it since the second he’d been told what was going to happen. He dreaded meeting the people there, the activities he’d do, everything about it.

Even when he was there he was scared. He was the small kid hiding in the corner as the other kids ran around. David wanted to do the same stuff but he couldn’t so he hid.

He stayed in his bunk for as long as he could, not talking to any of the other campers. He refused to turn up to meals and when he was forced to them he ate quickly, not talking or making eye contact. It took two days for a counsellor to spot how miserable the boy was but he refused to explain. David just sat there, apologising where he needed to.

It took another week until Campbell himself intervened.

David was sitting by himself in the far corner of the dinner hall, staring around distrustfully. Suddenly he saw something in his peripherals that made him flinch away.

“Careful there son!” Campbell chuckled. David stared up at him distrustfully. “So what’s your name?”

“David.”

“Ad why are you here alone, David?” Campbell asked. David shifted for a moment, staring around nervously. A few of the other campers had turned to look at the pair and it just made David shrink down more. Not that it did much.

His puberty hadn’t hit yet but he was still lanky, tall and lanky with no way of defending himself.

“Didn’t wanna talk to anyone.” David replied quietly. Campbell sighed.

“Why not?”

“When are you going to do it?” David asked quietly in lieu of replying. Campbell frowned.

“Do what?”

“Pray. That’s why I’m here. Is-isn’t it?” David glanced up at Campbell as he spoke, any sense of toughness disappearing as the sentence progressed. He wanted to stand up for himself, to yell and scream but he couldn’t.

“Pray? I’m not sure what you mean son.”

“You-you’re meant to make me normal.” David’s voice was quiet as he stared into nothing. “I don’t wanna be.”

“Normal?”

“I don’t care what kind of stuff you tell everyone. I know why my parents sent me here.” David stood abruptly, his lankiness allowing him to tower over Campbell. “I don’t want it!” With that he turned and ran out of the room.

He didn’t get far before he snuck into the trees and sat down again, taking deep shuddering breaths.

He didn’t want to be here. But he didn’t want to be home either.

Home meant those stares, the times his father would watch disapprovingly as David talked about a new boy he’d met. Home meant his mother looking disappointed when David didn’t have a girlfriend. Home meant judgement.

Camp meant pain. Camp meant being ‘fixed’.

David huddled into himself.

He hadn’t believed his mom when she’d said he was going to a summer camp, a camp where he’d spend hours at a time next to people his own age where he could learn and be free from the suffocation of home.

It had made a lot more sense when she’d told him they would make him like girls there, would stop him liking boys.

David shivered, maybe at the thought or maybe at the coldness in the air.

This place wasn’t freedom, this was just a new prison, this one with punishments that his parents would never do. Sure, they didn’t agree with what he did but they’d never hurt him.

David didn’t know how long he spent there, curled up into himself. He knew that it started to rain and that he wasn’t wearing enough to keep warm. He remembered the cold that threatened to freeze his soul. But somehow, as he always did, he survived.

As he sat there he wondered if he should change that.

He fell asleep before he could think much further.

 

 

 

David could feel the cold permeating his body yet again. Everything had gone wrong. This time it wasn’t because he’d tried to escape, it was because he just wasn’t good enough. He struck the flint again, trying to make it spark.

Again and again.

The staff lay in two pieces at his feet, the other campers had left. Only Max was left.

“Well David, you were right. This is amazing!” Max’s voice was so smug, so confident.

“If I could just- show you.” David knew that his voice was trembling, that he was so close to breaking down. This wasn’t what the camp was meant to be about. Camp Campbell was about freeing them, was all about letting them be who they wanted to be.

“Do you really think a big campfire and some outdated, honestly kinda racist tradition is going to make anyone care about anything?” Yes, David thought. It _has_ to. “No-one gives a shit David! No-body wants to be here.”

“GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH!” David screamed out. He could see so much of himself in Max but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t help David like Campbell had helped him.

“God, it’s like you live in this stupid make believe world where everything’s great! The universe doesn’t work that way idiot! Just look around! It’s what I’ve been trying to show you since day one!” David paused, rocks still in his hand. He couldn’t help. The Camp had been his safe house but he couldn’t make it theirs. “Life sucks and we live in a world of desensitised, apathetic assholes. Why don’t you just get with the program and stop giving a shit?”

“You’re right.”

“What?”

“Times have changed. Whether I like it or not. The campers don’t care. Gwen doesn’t care. Even the founder of this place has better things to do.” David held back a sob as he remembered that day in the wood, where Campbell had been so much more than the founder, had been one of the first adults to extend a helpful hand towards David. David turned to Max. Screw Campbell. This was his time. “That’s why I’ll never stop trying. Because somebody fucking has to.”

Maybe David would never be Campbell. Maybe he would never help someone like Campbell helped him but he could try. He could keep this camp open for the people who needed it, could keep it open for the people who just wanted it. He could build somewhere safe for anyone who wanted it.

“David-”

“Go back to your tent Max.” David knew how defeated he sounded but he couldn’t summon the energy to sound different. “You’ll just catch a cold.” There was a pause as Max tried to think of just what to say. “Gah!” Suddenly the rock in his hand snapped. “Oh give me a break! Gah!” David kicked the fire. What did it matter now?

He couldn’t give the staff away to the next generation of campers, none of them wanted to be there. Not even Gwen wanted to partake in the tradition.

“David!” Max’s scream was the last thing that David heard.

 

 

It was Campbell that finally found David, his pre-adolescent body huddled into itself. The child was shivering and Campbell sighed as he saw the boy slowly wake. As soon as he saw Campbell above him David jumped up and felt a wave of dizziness. Campbell frowned.

“What camp did you come here for, son?”

“The one that makes me straight. Pray the gay away.” David replied quietly. There wasn’t any point in hiding it anymore. Just one phone call to his parents would reveal everything anyway.

“Huh.” Campbell sat on the ground and frowned. “Tough one, that one.”

“I- I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t ask to be like this.”

“No-one wants to be who they are son. It’s just who we are. But,” Campbell smiled down at David. “Camp activities aren’t all compulsory.”

“What?”

“Son, that has never been part of this camp. Didn’t you see what was below it?”

“No.” David frowned and Campbell laughed.

“Pray the straight away. You can pray all you want and we can teach you how to pray but some things can’t be changed like that.”

“You mean-” David paused, frowning.

“I mean, in an hour we’re going on a hike. I’d like you to be there.”

“If I don’t wanna?”

“Then you can go back to your cabin. You can join in with one of the other activities. If you want I can call your parents to bring you home.”

“No!” David said quickly. Obviously too quickly. Campbell frowned but David just shook his head. “I’ll go hiking.”

“Okay.” Campbell smiled and stood, brushing himself off. David scrambled to his feet as well. “You know son, I think this camp could be the making of you.”

David didn’t believe him then. He didn’t believe any of it. But it was enough. It was enough for him to try, enough for him to talk to people, to take part in activities and eventually it was enough for him to trust the other campers.

Camp Campbell became his sanctuary for years. While his parents thought he was being ‘cured’ he was relishing the freedom of being alone, of being who he was. Everyone knew that he was gay and they didn’t care.

(Well, there may have been someone several years later who did care, who cared a lot but that was personal.)

Camp Camp meant safety.

 

 

When David finally came to he couldn’t believe his eyes. The whole camp was assembled in front of him in full Indian garb. He couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. This was the camp he remembered. The kids were smiling back at him and they were happy.

David couldn’t help the tears at that thought, at these children who weren’t scared anymore. He knew that they had stuff going on in their lives but for now they could forget it. Nerf didn’t need to think about his anger problems, Nikki didn’t need to think about going back to the school where she didn’t fit in, Neil didn’t need to worry about being bullied. Max didn’t need to think about what, or who, had convinced him life was so pointless and painful.

They were there, in David’s sanctuary and he would make damn sure that he’d protect them. He wouldn’t let them be hurt like he had.

As the melody of Gwen’s guitar lifted into the woods David smiled. Maybe Campbell himself had left but the camp remained standing. And so did David. He wasn't going anywhere.

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't great, I know but it's just something short cause I'm having major problems writing anyhting rn.  
> See you next time!


End file.
